Again, we spent a quiet day around camp.
It was so humid out, and the skies looked quite stormy, but it did not rain.
We did take a short drive, though, to go around to the seafood supply shop. There, bought ourselves some prawns to be a Good Friday treat.
Refuelled Truck – $1.23cpl. Had only done 184kms since last time, but at least it was now full and ready to go – somewhere?
Did little today. I mostly read and John spent his time on the computer.
Phoned Adels. The news was no better, though the rain there had stopped, after days on end of it. M said the O’Shaughnessy River was on the rise. Bad news that, because it was one of the streams to be forded if we went the most direct way from here. She reckoned that, when we could get in, it would be via Burke and Wills Roadhouse. That would mean we would have to back track from here to Cloncurry.
We clearly were not going to be at Adels in time for Easter. But then, neither were any guests!
Yesterday, M at Adels, had asked if I could collect some curtains they had ordered. So we went to the curtain shop and collected these.
While in the main part of town, went to Harvey World Travel and had a chat with the other co-owners of Adels, who we knew from past trips. Picked up two boxes of books from them, for Adels. We were given a microphone for the computer there, to deliver.
L was scheduled to take a tour group to Adels on Friday and still hoped to get through. He would only have the Troopy, not a bigger vehicle.
I joined the Mt Isa Library and took out some novels to read. The humidity here was too high to really consider doing much else except hole up in the van, with the air con on. In any case, on previous trips we had seem what we wanted to of the town.
I had a haircut – cost $20.
Foot still painful to walk on.
Wet Season in Mt Isa
Today was a bad day!
My heel was much more sore today. It clearly had not liked the bowls yesterday. So I limped around the place.
I had the first chance, since we left home, to do our washing. Unfortunately, some workmen broke a water pipe – while our clothes were in the machine. Some clothes got stained by gunk coming through the pipes, and then the machine malfunctioned, so I had to thoroughly rinse everything by hand.
To say I was annoyed was an understatement! In the intense humidity, slaving away in a confined laundry was not pleasant.
John went off to the dentist. Filling completed. It cost just over $200. But it had not deterred him from still using dental floss!
After he came back, we went to the supermarket and stocked up on food – and cash money. We did not know when the roads would be declared open, so now that the tooth was fixed, we could leave here as soon as that happened. So we needed to keep up supplies, ready for a quick departure.
The Outback at Isa Centre, which makes a major feature of the Riversleigh fossil finds. (from Google)
I managed to catch up with the Woolworths lady who had filled my Pungalina orders last year. Thanked her for the great job done.
John repaired the mechanism of the glass stove top cover, that attached it to the bench. It was loose and had been affected by the corrugations of recent years.
Today was very humid. There was a big cloud build up in the afternoon, but no actual rain.
I phoned Adels. The roads were still closed – outlook uncertain.
Although the skies were grey and threatening, there was no rain today. But it was hot and humid.
On the outskirts of Mt Isa
We had a quiet morning. There were no shops open, of course.
John went out to suss out the bowls scene, and came back having booked us in to play social bowls in the afternoon, so an early lunch was needed.
The bowls were on grass rinks, which were really water logged and heavy. It was not fun. Just hot and sweaty and hard work.
I really had not wanted to play, because my sore heel was getting better and I did not want to stir it up again, but John was insistent.
The radio news at 8.30am said that the highway was open, so we decided to go for Mt Isa.
The caravan park in the morning
Around McKinley, we could see where water had been over the road. There were some sections where the road surface was damaged, too.
We were in light rain for most of the day.
Refuelled in Cloncurry, on the way through, after 365kms. $1.29cpl. It seemed anomalous that, the further we were away from the populated areas, the cheaper the fuel was. Usually, it is the other way round.
At Isa, booked into the Argylla Caravan Park. $22.50 after discount. Told them we were not sure how long we would need to be here. We had stayed there last year, too.
The park was on the eastern edge of town, so it was a bit rural in feel and outlook, and was away from some of the noise that could occur right in town. The permanent dwellers here were tucked away in their own separate area.
Phoned Adels. The roads to there were still closed. They had two guests who were stuck there until the roads opened.
At this rate, we might not be getting there to start work before Easter. But neither would any guests, so it would not matter. But, having exerted ourselves to get here quickly, it would be boring to have to wait around for too long in Mt Isa, not to mention costing us money, instead of earning any.
Such are the vagaries of travel while the Wet Season is still on. We remarked that it had been fortunate that such a rain event had not happened this time last year. It could be ages before the roads to Pungalina are open, this year.
We had travelled this route in just six days!
We enjoyed a bought fish and chip tea.
Near Augathella, we nearly hit a mob of emus, this morning. Of course, the group that was on one side of the road, all decided at the last minute that they had to make a dash to the other side. John managed to slow down just enough – without endangering the rig – to just brush the tail feathers of the last bird. That was one lucky emu. The brakes all seemed to be working quite efficiently!
Stopped for a coffee break at the excellent rest are at Tambo. Got chatting to the occupants of another van that was parked there. Discovered that they were also going up to Adels to work. What a co-incidence! But they were not due to start until the end of this month.
He had hit his van on the corner of the shelter roof, as he’d pulled in, and taken the top front corner off the van. So now he had to find somewhere to get repairs.
They seemed pleasant people, which was good, because working with people one does not get on with, in such an isolated place, gets really difficult.
Refuelled at Tambo – $1.36cpl. 420kms done.
Had decided to try to make Winton today. We would feel happier once we made it to Mt Isa!
Refuelled again at Longreach – 326kms done. $1.35cpl.
We were in rain from Longreach on. It was quite heavy at first, around Longreach, but had eased off somewhat by the time we reached Winton.
Rain band near Winton
The radio news said the Landsborough Highway was closed at Kynuna, after Winton. However, we were not sure if this was still accurate, as there seemed to be a lot of trucks passing us, heading east, and they had to have come from Cloncurry or beyond.
Refuelled again at Winton, even though we’d only done 186kms. With the rain. we thought fuel supplies further on might be uncertain. $1.35cpl.
Went into the Matilda Caravan Park at Winton. $18 after discount, staying hitched up.
The camp ground was really muddy in the drizzling rain. Apart from necessary visits to the amenities, we just hunkered down in the van, had an easy tea and an early night.
We had an uneventful drive to Charleville, on a road we have travelled several times before.
Broke the drive with roadside stops for coffee and lunch, and to refuel at Cunnamulla, having done 268kms since Bourke – $1.36cpl. Back in the State of cheaper diesel.
Booked into the Bailey Bar Caravan Park, as we had done times before. $18.90 after discount.
Not much had changed there. Rigs were still placed under direction, where it would allow a maximum number to be fitted in. That did not greatly affect us, this time, being here for only one night. They did place us so the rig could stay hitched up. We did not need to put up an awning, or set up camp furniture outside.
We walked to the shopping centre. Had to get a few oddments – including soap and container for John!
My heel seemed to be slowly getting better. We walked about 4kms.
Thought I should phone house sitter and check with her. She said all was alright at home. Spook was sleeping in the box we’d left for him – since he would not have our bed to sleep on. She had bought him a blanket for it – nice of her.
Phoned Adels Grove, to see what was happening there, and alert them to our time line.
It was only about two weeks since Cyclone Larry hit the Qld coast and caused a big low pressure system to come across the Gulf country, dumping over 500mm of rain around Normanton and Burketown, and flooding a lot of country.
M said the Century Mine trucks were using the Riversleigh road, as the usual way to the east was shut, due to the Leichardt River flooding between Gregory Downs and Burke and Wills Roadhouse. She reckoned Pungalina could flood again, too. It had been raining solidly for three days at Adels, and guests could not get there.
It was raining through much of the north west of Qld – we could have some trouble getting through. But with the dentist appointment in Mt Isa, we needed to try to go on.
John went to the park office and found the number for a dentist in Griffith – there was none in Hay! We had not actually intended to go through Griffith, but…. John phoned the dentist. He had no room to squeeze an appointment in for him in reasonable time. John tried to phone another one in that town, was told they would check and call back. They didn’t.
I twisted the ankle on my good foot, this morning, stumbling on some uneven ground.
I used Sensis to get some different dentist contacts in the areas we would be going to. Found one in Charleville, but when I phoned, found there was only an emergency dentist there now and there was no hope of a transient getting in.
Then found one in Mt Isa, where we were able to get an appointment for next Monday. So we would be detouring to the Mount, instead of turning north at Cloncurry, as usual. Well, that would be better than a side track to Griffith, anyway, and the tooth repair would just have to wait a few days.
I came to two conclusions after this exercise. One was that Telstra sucks, for eliminating the old, friendly, Directory Assistance, and replacing it with Sensis. I bet the charges would be high for my efforts today. Secondly, the bush was very badly served for dentists!
It was a long day, but it was nearly 10am before we left Hay.
Refuelled at Hillston – 311kms. $1.43cpl.
It got warmer through the day. Some cloud developed later and it was actually a bit cooler between Cobar and Bourke.
We found a good roadside stop, about 100kms south of Cobar, to stop and eat our packed lunch – at Gilgunnia.
There was some roadside water lying about – there had been rain, in recent weeks, through these parts.
At Cobar we debated whether to stay there, or press on to Bourke, a further 170kms. John wanted to go on and, in the end, I was pleased we did, now that we must reach Mt Isa in four days.
Filled Truck on the way through Bourke, at the fuel depot there. 430kms. $1.40cpl.
Continued on to North Bourke and booked into Kidmans Camp. $22.
The clouds that had developed led to a very pretty sunset. We sat out on the lovely grassed area outside our van and watched the sunset. It reminded us of happy hours at Pungalina, last year.
At shower time, John discovered he didn’t pack his soap container – or soap! It had taken him a week to find this out??
We did not leave Swan Hill until after some tasks had been completed.
Murray River at Swan Hill
I visited a jeweller to get my watch going again. But the verdict was that there was something other than just the battery wrong with it. I had little choice but to buy a new one, as I really had to have a watch to function properly at Adels. So I bought a stainless steel one, quite nice, for $200. Had the band from my old one fitted to the new one, as it was a style I preferred.
We also bought a case for the video camera – more compact than the one we had been using.
John posted off the fleece jackets, bought in Halls Gap, to Brussels.
We drove to Hay via Tooleybuc and Balranald, to stay on the better faster roads, even though it was not the most direct route.
Topped up the fuel at Balranald, at 222kms done. $1.37cpl.
There were a few spots of rain at one stage in the afternoon, confirming that summer had really gone.
Booked into the Hay Plains Caravan Park. $18 after discount.
We set out to go for a walk, but did not go very far because I had a really sore heel, ankle back. I wasn’t sure what was wrong with it; there had not been any incident or accident to account for it. All I could think of was that it was an aftermath from all the standing at the Games work.
Murrumbidgee River at Hay
To add to the accumulating woes on this trip, after tea, John pulled out a filling when using dental floss. It would need to be fixed as soon as possible.
This Adventurous Age 